Council wants pubs in London’s Soho and West End to ban standing

Westminster Council is under fire as part of its plans to update a licensing policy. Why?

Downing Street has urged Westminster City Council to "work with" pub landlords amid a row over restricting standing-up drinking in London, insisting "it is British life".

Westminster council has recommended banning ‘vertical drinking’ or ordering at the bar in new draft licensing policy No 10 has vowed to confiscate powers from local councils which try to restrict customers from standing up while drinking in pubs or ordering at the bar. It comes…

Westminster City Council had encouraged pub landlords to put out tables and chairs in place of bar space

"You can't run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset"

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London chided against ‘restrictive and anti-growth policies’ in Soho and the West End

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed a plan backed by a Tory council to stop pub goers in Soho from drinking while standing up. Westminster Council, the now-Conservative-run local authority that covers London’s most popular drinking spots, has set out its ambition to radically…

Sadiq Khan criticises Westminster council’s ‘anti-growth policies’ after it recommends stopping ‘vertical drinking’ Waiting at the bar and trying to catch the bartender’s eye so you can order a pint, before going to stand with your friends and have a catchup, has been how…